GOSSIP BAR & RESTAURANT – New York, NY

No, they don’t show “Gossip Girl” 24/7, although the show’s brooding everyman, Dan Humphrey, should find himself quite at home at this laid-back, if kinda chichi, pub in Hell’s Kitchen. The grub? Shock: predictably utilitarian bar food that’s literally all over the map, from quesadillas to chicken satay to mini cordon bleu. Larger plates bust out the fancy-schmancy—can you say duck breast with pomegranate reduction? Ooooh. Prices that top out at $18? Ooooh. Late-night hours that stretch to 4 a.m. on weekends? Ooooh. A full second-floor party area can host groups of up to 100, and it’s also got a working fireplace. Yeah, yeah, not quite the stuff of gossip, but worth paying lip service to.